Here's the revised edition.  Some scenes have been cut, others added,
and a great deal has been modified.  Tell me what you think.



"A Change of Scene" Chapters 67-69
February/March 1999, by June "KaraOhki" Geraci
karaohki@snet.net
To see earlier chapters:  surf.to/karaohki

The characters from Ranma 1/2 in this fiction are the creations of
Rumiko Takahashi and borrowed without her permission.  This story was
written for non-commercial purposes only.


Chapter 67

"NO!  Nooooo . . ."

The visions in Ranma's head kept shifting, from bad to worse.  No
matter how many times he saw them, he never, ever got used to them.

Akane vanished, and her clothes drifted down into Ranma's arms.  She
was gone, and it was all his fault for not doing a better job of
protecting her.  He closed his eyes tightly, trying not to cry. . .

The little doll that was Akane sat on the edge of the table, staring
at nothing.  There had to be a way to bring here back. . .

Ranma stared at Shampoo, afraid to move, because she held little Akane
in one hand, her thumb pressed against her head.  All Shampoo had to
do was push. . .

Akane looked so tired.  Ranma held her close to her face, and pleaded
with her.  "Don't fall asleep, Akane!  Don't!"  Akane smiled faintly,
raised her arms towards Ranma's face, and closed her eyes. . .

"No. . .please!  Don't leave me!"

Ranma woke, gasping for air.  He reached for the light, and looked
down at Akane, who was still sound asleep.  Just to be certain, Ranma
took Akane's hand, which was reassuringly warm, and felt the strong
pulse in her wrist.  He was amazed that she was sleeping, because his
nightmares usually woke her, and then he remembered that she'd taken a
pill before going to bed.

He turned off the lamp and tried to sleep, but the dream continued to
haunt him.  He'd been having it over and over again since Jusendo.
The first time it had happened, which was on their way home from
China, Ranma had crept into Akane's tent to make sure she was still
there, alive.  He'd sat there for the longest time, watching her
sleep, until he was calm enough to go back to his own tent.

Ranma wondered what Akane would think if she'd known how many nights
he'd spent in her room between their failed wedding and departure for
college.  Despite the fact that he knew that she was all right, and
he'd only been dreaming, Ranma was never able to go back to sleep
until he'd reassured himself that Akane was still there; and therefore
he had spent many long hours sitting beside her bed, watching.  He'd
hoped that the nightmares would go away once he and Akane were
married, but they continued to plague him, and he would wake up and
turn on the lamp just to look at her.  This time he needed to do more
than just look, and Ranma gently lifted his wife into his arms,
carefully avoiding the bandage on her arm.  With Akane's comforting
warmth filling his arms, and her hair tickling his chin, Ranma was
finally able to relax, and sleep.

When the alarm rang, Akane stirred, and found herself unable to move.
Her dead-to-the-world husband had his arms around her, and she
couldn't reach the clock.

Ranma's eyes slowly opened, and one hand let go of Akane long enough
to turn off the alarm, and then it returned to caress her cheek.  He
gently traced her black eye, kissed her, then let her go.  When Ranma
got up and began dressing, Akane sat up and stared.

"Where are you going?"

"Somebody has to tell Konatsu that Ukyo is in the hospital."

Some time later, still arguing, the couple approached Ucchan's.

"If you go in there alone, you'll end up fighting with Konatsu.  I'm
going so that I can keep things calm."

"Calm?  Akane, you said CALM?  Since when were YOU calm?  Besides, I
said I don't want you in there!  When Konatsu hears that you knocked
Ukyo out, who knows what he'll do!"

That was enough to make Akane stop short.  Since she'd gotten out of
bed, Ranma had been telling her not to come with him, but not he was
finally telling her why.  She put her hand on her husband's arm, her
face a mixture of affection and amusement.

"I don't think he'd try to hurt me."

"I won't let him try!"

"Ranma!"

Instead of responding immediately, Ranma touched the bruises on
Akane's face again.

"Your father is going to kill me when he sees this."

"It wasn't your fault."

"Yeah, but you know I promised him that I'd protect you.  He'll say
I'm not doing a good enough job of it."

Akane couldn't decide whether she wanted to hit Ranma or kiss him.
>From the look on his face, it was evident that he was preparing to
duck if necessary, and his expression changed to relief when she
smiled at him.

"You can't be with me every second, Love."

A voice behind them made them both jump.

"Excuse me, but have you seen Ukyo?  I've been searching for her all
night."

The couple turned around.  An exhausted-looking Konatsu was standing
there.

*****

Shampoo finished packing her bag, and put it into her closet.  She'd
packed a few things that were important to her and shipped them to
Shiro, and the rest would wait until they came back from China.  Now
all Shampoo could do was wait, and that was something she was not good
at.  That was why she'd packed the bag--so that she could leave at a
moment's notice.

"Shampoo, come downstairs!  It's nearly time to open."

Cologne smiled at Shampoo, and handed her an apron.

"Dreaming again, dear?"

Then her expression changed.

"Shampoo!  Your ring!"

Fearful that she'd lost her ring, Shampoo looked down at her hand.
Then the door of the Nekohanten opened, and she realized what Cologne
was trying to tell her.  She'd barely enough time to slip the ring off
her finger and into her apron pocket before Mousse tossed his bag
aside and swept her off her feet, hugging her tightly.

"Shampoo, you don't know how much I missed you!"

CONK!

"Behave yourself, Mousse.  Make yourself useful.  Put your things away
and get to work!"

For just a second, Shampoo saw rebellion in Mousse's eyes.  Cologne
waved her staff as if to hit him a second time, and Mousse dropped his
gaze to the floor, picked up his bag, and headed upstairs.  Shampoo
moved closer to Cologne, and spoke to her softly.

"Did you see the way he looked at you?"

"I did.  Watch yourself, dear.  He's going to break soon, and it may
be very dangerous for anyone in the way."

*****

The Saotomes watched Konatsu run toward the hospital until he
disappeared around a corner.  Konatsu had been so worried about Ukyo
that he'd been relieved just to learn where she was.  When he found
out that she was in the hospital and why, his anger had flared for
just a moment, but one look from Ranma had convinced him to sit still
long enough to hear an explanation.  Once he'd heard it, Konatsu's
only concern was to get to Ukyo as fast as he possibly could.

"That was easier than I thought it was going to be, Akane."

"I'm glad.  We've had enough fighting for one week."

"Yeah.  I think I'll go see Ukyo tonight before rehearsal.

"I'll come with you."

Ranma shook his head, and squeezed Akane's hand.

"Not a good idea.  I don't know if she'll want to see me, and she
definitely won't want to see you.  She might even try to hurt you
again."

Ranma walked past the building where his first class was, and Akane
tugged on his arm.

"Ranma, aren't you going in?"

"I'll walk you to class first."

Akane sighed.  Ranma had that "protective" look on his face again, and
probably would be that way for days.

"Ranma, no one is going to bother me.  You don't have to walk me."

"You don't want me around?"

Ranma dropped Akane's hand and walked off.  Akane stood there for a
moment, hesitating, and then ran after him.  She grabbed his arm, and
made him turn and look at her.

"I--I'm sorry, Ranma."

"How come I'm not allowed to be worried about you?  Is there something
wrong with that?"

Akane took Ranma's hand and pulled him back on the path.

"No, there isn't.  Walk with me?"

Akane's morning was uneventful, with the exception of a few stares
when people saw her bruises.  She was entering her last class of the
morning when one of the girls in the class approached her, looking
rather uncomfortable.

"Um, Akane, may I talk to you for a minute?"

"Sure, Kikue.  Sit down."

The girl fumbled around in her bag for a moment, and took out a
brochure.

"Look, I know what's going on between you and your boyfriend is none
of my business, but I think you'd better read this."

Completely confused, Akane looked down at the brochure.  Her eyes
popped open wide when she read the title:

"How to Break Free From an Abusive Relationship."

"What on earth do I need this for?"

Kikue looked embarrassed, and gestured to Akane's bruises.

"I've been watching the two of you, Akane, and you have all the signs.
I've noticed how he's always with you, holding onto you.  Now you show
up with these bruises!"

Akane took a couple of breaths, trying to remain calm.  She couldn't
believe that someone was accusing Ranma of beating her.

"First of all, Kikue, Ranma isn't my boyfriend.  He's my husband."

She held up her hand, showing her rings.

"We just got married, so don't you think it's natural that he'd always
be with me.?  Secondly, he didn't do this.  Someone else did."

"Look, that's what everybody says, but you shouldn't be afraid to tell
me the truth.  You're married?  Sure, he makes you wear a ring, but he
doesn't wear one.  That should tell you something, shouldn't it?"

Again, Akane had to fight to maintain control.  Ranma was wearing his
ring, but it was on a chain around his neck.  The day he'd smashed the
fountain his ring had fallen off when he'd changed, and it had taken
them a half hour to find it in the grass.  Her classmate's assumptions
were annoying Akane almost more than she could handle.

"Whether or not my husband wears a ring is none of your business!  I
got these bruises defending myself from someone who attacked me last
night.  If you REALLY need to confirm it, go ask Shiro!"

Akane remembered what Ranma had said to her that morning, and
continued.

"Ranma is sticking close to me because he's worried!  Isn't he allowed
to be worried about me?"

Kikue turned very red.

"I'm sorry, Akane.  I--I meant well."

Akane's anger left as quickly as it had come.  She patted Kikue's hand
and smiled at her.

"I know you did.  If you knew my husband better, you wouldn't have
thought this of him, and if you knew me better, you'd know that I'm a
martial artist.  I can defend myself pretty well."

"Don't tell him what I said!  Please!  I'd be SO embarrassed!"

"Okay, I won't, but I still think you should see for yourself what
kind of person Ranma really is."

After a little hesitation, Kikue nodded.

"Thank you, I will."

*****

When Akane went to meet Ranma for lunch, she discovered that Kikue
wasn't the only person to draw the wrong conclusions.  Ranma stood
outside the cafeteria, and it was evident to Akane that he was
involved in some kind of disagreement with several students.  One of
them saw Akane approaching and gestured in her direction.

"You should be ashamed of yourself, Saotome!  How could you do such a
thing!"

"Look, I TOLD YOU, it wasn't me!"

"Hey!"

When Akane shouted, everyone turned in her direction.

"How dare you accuse Ranma of hurting me!"

"Look at you.  How can you deny--urk!"

Whatever the young man had planned to say, it was impossible for him
to continue once Akane had both hands on his collar, holding off the
ground.  She let go with one hand, and waved a small fist under his
nose.

"I'm only going to say this once, so listen carefully.  My husband is
NOT responsible for these bruises, and if I hear anyone imply it
again, we're BOTH going to flatten them!"

"Akane, take it easy!  Put him down!"

Akane dropped the unfortunate student and turned on her husband, fury
on her face.

"I won't let them talk that way about you!  You never do more than tap
me when we practice together!  How could anyone think you'd hurt me?"

The circle around the Saotomes drew back a little when Akane began to
glow.  Ranma grabbed her hands and pulled her towards him.

"Don't!"

There was a collective sigh of relief when Akane's glow faded.  Ranma
drew her closer, picked her up, and glared at the circle of men
standing around them.  When they didn't move, he simply jumped over
them and disappeared.



Chapter 68

"Where are we going?"

"Hold still, Akane.  I'm taking you home."

"But--"

"Don't argue with me!  We're taking the afternoon off."

Akane quieted as Ranma left the campus and took to the rooftops.

*****

"Mousse!  Order for delivery!"

Cologne waited impatiently as Mousse tore his gaze from Shampoo, took
the order, and left.  The lunch crowd was rather thin, and she waved
Shampoo into the kitchen.

"I'm sorry, Shampoo.  I've made a great many mistakes, and I'm afraid
it's going to make your life more complicated."

"Mistakes?"

"I tried too hard to live on both sides of the fence.  Even though I
disagreed with our traditional way of life, I tried to tell myself it
was best that you follow it.  I should have told you a long time ago
about our family secret, and given you the opportunity to decide for
yourself whether or not you wanted to be included.  Instead, I
encouraged you to pursue Ranma.  After he hit you, and I told him he
couldn't marry you, I knew you were still following him around.  I
like Ranma, and I still hoped you would win him over."

"That's all right, Great-Grandmother.  It all worked out for the best.
Ranma is happy with Akane.  I'm happy with Shiro."

"But that's not the worst of it.  I made a big mistake when I
encouraged Mousse to pursue you.  He didn't need the encouragement,
and now he thinks you've accepted him.  I'm afraid we're going to have
a big problem with him.

Shampoo suppressed the urge to laugh.  Mousse had been a big problem
in her life for a long time.

"Don't worry about Mousse.  I can handle him."

Cologne's hand flicked out, and lightly slapped Shampoo's cheek.

"Don't get overconfident."

*****

The wind picked up as Ranma took the direct route home, traveling from
roof to roof.  Within a minute the rain began, and Ranma landed on the
roof of their house in girl form.  He set Akane down, climbed down to
the kitchen window, and helped her through.  Akane barely waited to
take off her coat before asking questions.

"Ranma, why did you bring me home?  Shouldn't we be in class?"

Ranma was already headed for the bathroom, shirt half unbuttoned.

"I don't know about you, but I wanted to get away from campus before I
hurt someone."

The bathroom door closed behind Ranma, and Akane stared at it for a
few seconds.  A year ago, Ranma would have lost his temper and said
something foolish, or gotten into a fight.  Today he'd kept his
self-control, calmed her down, and gotten them both away before any
damage could be done.  Coming home had been a good idea.

A sudden thought made Akane smile and she walked toward the bathroom
door.  Ranma as already working with the shower taps, adjusting the
temperature, and Akane peeked around the curtain in time to watch him
change.  He became aware of her presence, turned around, and watched
quietly as her clothes joined his in the hamper and she stepped under
the hot water with him.

"As long as we're taking the afternoon off, we might as well enjoy
ourselves."

*****

Shiro picked at his lunch while he read Shampoo's letter.  Her
revelation of Cologne's secret had been a complete surprise, and also
a relief.  After everything Shampoo had told him about Cologne, Shiro
had been preparing himself for a battle with her, and he was very
relieved that one of their problems had been eliminated.

Shampoo had been thrilled when Shiro had written to her suggesting
that he take her to China so that he could meet her father.  His
botany class was taking a trip to China to study and collect medicinal
herbs, and it would be no problem for Shiro to arrange for Shampoo to
travel with them, and to take the side trip to Joketsuzoku on their
own.  Now it seemed that Shampoo wanted to explain how Shiro should
act in public once he arrived there.

Shiro began to chuckle as he read, totally unaware of the looks of
amusement he was getting from the people sitting nearby.

"Shiro, you must pretend to be very meek and humble when you get
there.  In Father's house, you can be yourself.  Our family will
understand, and the Elders will be fooled.  I know you might not like
this, but it is only pretend. Will you do this for me, please?"

The only possible answer could be yes.

Shiro pulled out a piece of paper, and began writing.  He had very
good news for Shampoo.  He'd signed a lease for a furnished apartment
that morning.  Shiro's mother was already arranging their wedding, and
it was time for Shampoo to leave Nerima.

*****

"How long will you be gone, Ranma?"

"An hour, maybe.  I might be home sooner than that, if Ukyo throws me
out."

The worried look on Akane's face bothered Ranma all the way to the
hospital, and the more he thought about it the angrier he got at his
father.  Many of the troubles that he and Akane experienced were due
to the foolish decisions his father had made.  He couldn't blame
everything on him, but engaging him to both Ukyo and Akane had been
really, really stupid.  Why had he accepted Mr. Kuonji's offer when
Ranma was already engaged to a Tendo daughter?  No matter who Ranma
chose, someone was going to get hurt, and that was one of the reasons
he had hesitated for so long to tell Akane how much he cared--he knew
that Ukyo was going to be  hurt, or angry, or both.  It had turned out
to be both, and now Ukyo had suffered a breakdown.  Genma would be at
the receiving end of a lot of trouble when Ranma went home for the
weekend.

The young woman at the reception desk smiled at Ranma.

"May I help you?"

"Yes.  I'd like a pass to see Ukyo Kuonji, please."

The reply Ranma got was a smile that made him rather uncomfortable,
and an offer to walk him in the right direction.

"It's time for my break, and I have to walk right by there, so it's no
problem."

The smile made Ranma wish he was wearing his ring around his finger
rather than around his neck, but he accepted the offer and walked as
far away from the young woman as he could without appearing to be
rude.  She dropped him in the waiting area, and gestured to the phone.

"Just pick up, and they'll let you in."

Ranma followed her instructions, and soon a nurse opened the door, and
gestured him inside.

"You said your name was Ranma?  Miss Kuonji seems to spend a lot of
time talking to herself about you."

They reached Ukyo's room and the nurse opened the door, but it was
empty.

"Miss Kuonji?"

The nurse opened the bathroom door, but it too was empty.  Ten minutes
later, a thorough search of the floor proved that Ukyo was gone.

"Where could she have--are you all right?"

Ranma had gone pale, and broken out into a sweat.

"I have to get home.  My wife--"

*****

There it was again.  A scraping noise from somewhere up above.

Konatsu left the grill and climbed the stairs as quietly as he could.
He arrived in time to see Ukyo climbing out of the window, spatula in
hand.  He rushed to the window and leaned down as Ukyo was reaching
the ground.

"Ukyo!  Come back!"

Ukyo just ran.

Konatsu flew down the stairs and out of the restaurant.  There were
not many people there, and when he didn't return immediately, one of
them went behind the counter and turned off the grill.  One by one,
they left the money for their meals on the counter, and the last one
to leave put up the "closed" sign.  His date was waiting outside, and
they walked off together.

"That place is getting weird.  First the owner disappears, and then
this new guy takes off in the middle of the afternoon!"

*****

Akane had just started dinner when a rustling noise from the window
distracted her.  She smiled, opened one of the cupboards, and took out
a bag of birdseed.

Akane had begun feeding the birds shortly after she and Ranma had
returned from their honeymoon.  An earlier tenant had put a bird
feeder outside the window, and Akane was fascinated with the variety
of birds that visited her.  She'd told Ranma that she missed P-chan
less because of them.  He'd given her an odd look, but hadn't said
anything.

It was sunset, and the birds usually came for a snack before going to
their nests for the night.  They'd probably cleaned out the feeder
today, judging from the tapping sounds Akane was hearing.  Some of the
bolder birds would actually scold her when she'd open the window, as
if to chastise her for forgetting to feed them.

"All right, all right, I'm coming!"

Akane chuckled as she scooped some of the seed into a cup, and pulled
aside the curtain.  Then the cup fell out of her hand, and spilled all
over the floor.  Ukyo was outside the window, attempting to open it.

For one second, their eyes met, and they both understood that the
other was thinking.  Ukyo had come to finish what she had started.
Akane had no intention of letting her do that.

Ukyo yanked at the window, and brought it up a few inches.  She got
her arm under it, and attempted to push it up the rest of the way.
The sound of running footsteps made both girls turn.  The door flew
open, and Ranma ran into the kitchen.  One look at the expression of
fury on his face caused Ukyo to cry out as if she'd been struck, and
she vanished.

"Oh no!  Did she fall?"

Akane wrenched the window up the rest of the way and was about to lean
over the sill when Ranma pushed her aside and looked for himself.
Ukyo had already climbed part way down.  He gasped when she lost her
grip in her haste and began to fall.  Then a dark figure below caught
her.

"Konatsu!  Is Ukyo all right?"

Konatsu looked up long enough to nod.

"She's fine, Ranma."

Then he disappeared.

Ranma closed the window, turned around, and grabbed Akane.  He gave
her a little shake, and a little hug.

"How could you think of leaning out when Ukyo was out there?  What if
she'd pulled you out with her?  If you'd both fallen, Konatsu would
only have been able to catch one of you, and. . ."

Ranma was unable to continue, but Akane knew what he meant.  She
pulled out of his embrace, and planted both hands on her hips.

"Baka!  I can handle a fall from that height!"

"With someone hanging onto you, Akane?"

"Yes!"

"No you couldn't, you clumsy tom--"

Ranma stopped short.  Akane was neither clumsy nor a tomboy, but his
big mouth had done it again.  She was looking at the floor, both hands
curled up into fists.

"I'm sor--"

"It's okay, Ranma.  You don't have to apologize."

"Yes I do."

"You're just worried about me, that's all.  That's what you said this
morning."

Akane paused, and looked up at Ranma.

"I shouldn't have called you names, either.  I'm sorry."

Ranma pulled Akane tightly against him, and wrapped his arms around
her.  Akane could feel his heart racing.

"Did you run all the way from the hospital?"

"Yes, I did."

Akane lifted her face from Ranma's chest and kissed him.

"Thank you."

She stepped back and slid on the birdseed, causing Ranma to clutch at
her.

"What's all this on the floor?"

"I was going to feed the birds, but when I opened the curtains Ukyo
was out there.  I was so surprised that I dropped it."

"What would have done if she'd come in?"

"I don't know.  I wouldn't have wanted to hurt her unless I had to."

"I hope you never have to."

*****

Ukyo struggled in vain as Konatsu carried her away.

"Put me down!"

"No.  You're going back to the hospital."

"I don't want to go back there!"

Konatsu had been cutting across campus, and he deposited Ukyo on a
bench and sat next to her.

"Why not?"

"I don't belong--I don't like it there!"

Konatsu's response was very gentle.

"You don't like it there?"

Ukyo began to sniffle.

"No."

"But do you belong there?"

"I don't know."

"Think about it, Ukyo.  Ranma told me that you attacked him a few days
ago.  Is that the way you treat someone you love?"

There was no response.

"Now you've tried twice to kill Akane.  Why?"

"She took him away from me.  Ran-chan is mine!"

"If you say so, Ukyo.  But I want you to think for me.  Does Ranma
love Akane?"

"I don't. . . he couldn't. . .but. . ."

"I'll assume that means yes.  You've heard the stories about what
happened in China, haven't you?  What did Ranma do to that Saffron
person?"

"He killed him, I think."

"Why?"

Ukyo's response was no more than a whisper.

"For Akane."

"And what would Ranma do if you killed Akane?"

Konatsu sat there, patiently watching Ukyo think.  He could see the
internal struggle she was going through, and she was shaking by the
time she replied.

"Do you, do you think he would kill me?  For her?"

"Maybe."

"But he's my friend!"

"Would he still be your friend after that?"

Ukyo's face crumpled, and she began to cry uncontrollably.  Konatsu
let her be for a while, and then he picked her up and continued on his
way.

*****

While Akane finished making dinner, Ranma swept up the seed and fed
the birds.  He had phoned Ucchan's, but no one had answered.  At
Akane's suggestion, Ranma phoned the hospital, and discovered that
Konatsu had brought Ukyo back there, something that surprised him
greatly.

"Ukyo's back at the hospital, Akane.  I'm glad--she needs help."

"Is there anything we can do, Ranma."

"I don't know, but I'm going to find out."

Ranma sat down, and took a forkful of Akane' stir fry.  He swallowed
hastily, and drank nearly all of his tea.

"That bad, Ranma?"

"I've had worse."

"I'm sorry.  I don't cook very well when I'm upset."

"I noticed."

The hurt look on Akane's face told Ranma he'd put his foot in his
mouth again.

"Sorry, Akane."

"About dinner, or what you said?"

"Both.  And sorry you don't have a normal life, like other girls."

Akane's expression softened, and she reached across the table to pat
Ranma's hand.

"If I'd wanted a normal life, I would have married someone else."

Ranma held his breath, waiting for Akane to continue.

"I don't want anyone else."

*****

Akane, you look terrible!  Does it hurt?"

"Please, Mishi.  Don't make a fuss."

That was just the start.  The entire cast and crew surrounded Akane,
asking what had happened.  She and Ranma tried to keep the explanation
short and simple, and most people accepted it and went back to what
they were doing, with the exception of Yoshimi, who was more
interested in Akane's bruises for the visual impact rather than any
pain she might be in.

"Do you think we can cover that with makeup?  You said you have
stitches in your leg?  Will they show?"

Akane saw Ranma's anger at the questions, and shooed him toward the
catwalk.

"I'm sure the bruises will fade before next Saturday, Yoshimi.  And
the stitches come out a couple of days before that.  Could you just
drop it?"

Recognizing the danger signals in Akane's eyes, Mishi tapped Yoshimi
on the shoulder, and asked him to come with her to see some changes
she'd made to the costumes.  She glanced back at Akane as she walked
off, and was rewarded with a grateful look.

The rehearsal went very smoothly, and Ranma was surprised to find
Shiro waiting in the wings when he and Akane left the stage.

"Do the two of you have a minute?"

"We were going to get something to eat, Shiro.  Want to come along?"

Shiro never refused an invitation to eat, and the three were soon
seated in a small restaurant.  The Saotomes were very pleased to hear
Shiro's announcement that he'd found an apartment, and very amazed
when he revealed what Shampoo had told them about Cologne.

"You mean to tell me that old bat has been lying to us all this time,
and half the women in the village are in on it?"

"That's right."

"Wow."

Ranma just shook his head, and Akane smiled at him.

"She had me fooled too, Ranma.  When is Shampoo coming, Shiro?"

"I don't know.  I'll have to write her and ask her to come to Ube.
Then I can take her to my mother's house.  She can stay with her until
the wedding."

"Do you want me to tell her, Shiro?  Ranma and I are going to Nerima
for the weekend."

"Thank you, Akane.  Tell her to come as quickly as she can.  I'd like
to get her out of Nerima before Mousse comes back."

*****

"You two finish cleaning up.  I'm going to count the receipts."

Cologne took the cash box and walked into the back, leaving Shampoo
alone with Mousse.  She didn't like the idea, but the restaurant
needed to be cleaned, and she couldn't ask Mousse or Shampoo to do it
alone.

Mousse and Shampoo worked silently for a while.  Shampoo felt very
uncomfortable being alone with Mousse, who had stayed close by her all
day long.  She was sweeping the floor when Mousse carried the last
tray of dishes into the kitchen.  When he returned, he took the broom
out of her hands and embraced her.

"Shampoo, I don't want to wait any longer.  Tell me you'll marry me
right away!"

Shampoo pushed Mousse away.

"I told you, Mousse.  I have no intention of marrying you."

Suddenly, both wrists were taken in a grip that was extremely painful.

"Actually, Shampoo, I'm not giving you a choice."

"Let go of me!"

Shampoo wrenched her arms free, and kicked out at Mousse.  She met
nothing but air, as he slipped around her and grabbed her again,
painfully squeezing her ribs.

"I said, you have no choice this time."

Enraged, Shampoo freed herself again, and Mousse went flying across
the room, hitting the far wall.  He pulled himself to a sitting
position and simply looked at Shampoo, who breathing heavily and
rubbing one wrist.

"You're only going to make it hard on yourself by fighting me.  I'm
stronger than you--I always have been.  This time I'm not holding
back."

Mousse got to his feet, and walked upstairs.


Chapter 69

Friday was an uneventful day for the Saotomes, which was a welcome
relief to them.  They were happy to leave their classes late that
afternoon, collect their bags, and get on the train to Nerima.

The Tendo house was dark and quiet when Ranma and Akane arrived.  They
let themselves in, and were about to go upstairs when they noticed a
piece of paper on the dining room table.

"Welcome home.  I left a snack on the counter for you."

Ranma immediately headed for the kitchen.

"Kasumi's cooking!"

Akane followed at a much slower pace.  Someday she hoped Ranma would
respond that way to her cooking.

Ranma already had his mouth full when Akane came though the door, and
he held a plate out to her.

"Eat up, Akane.  This is great."

Soon, nothing remained but crumbs.  Akane started to wash the dishes,
and Ranma disappeared.  He returned minutes later and came up behind
his wife, putting his hands on her waist.

"Where were you?"

"I brought our things upstairs, and put them away.  You nearly done?"

"Just about."

Akane had a very difficult time washing the last couple of dishes, as
Ranma's arms pulled her back against him, and he began to kiss her
neck.

"Mmmmm.  Stop that."

"Why?"

"Wait `til we get upstairs."

Ranma's response was to toss Akane over his shoulder and carry her
upstairs.

*****

Shampoo sat up the moment her doorknob rattled.  She was about to get
up and pound on Mousse when he gave up, and walked to his own room.

It was a good thing she'd packed that bag.  Tomorrow she would leave
Nerima.

*****

The early morning sun woke Akane and she looked up, momentarily
confused.  The window was in the wrong place, and the ceiling wasn't
slanted, as it was in the little attic bedroom she shared with Ranma
at home.  No, this was her father's house.

Akane came fully awake.  When had Ube become home, and the house where
she was born her father's house?  She'd have to give that some
thought.

Akane left the futon and dressed quietly.  She had her hand on the
doorknob when Ranma opened his eyes.

"Wha. . .where are you going?"

"To see Shampoo.  Go back to sleep."

Ranma never argued with the opportunity to sleep in, but this time he
did.

"Wait a few minutes and let me come along.  I don't want you wandering
around by yourself."

"Ranma!  I'm not going to get into any trouble between here and the
Nekohanten."

Akane leaned over and kissed Ranma.  She tucked the blankets around
him, and brushed the hair out of his eyes.

"You never get to sleep in any more.  I'll be back soon, I promise."

Ranma nodded, and Akane left before he could change his mind.

*****

The Nekohanten's door opened as Akane reached the restaurant, and
Shampoo came out with a basket in her hand.  She locked the door, and
jumped when she turned around and found Akane standing there.

"Akane!  What are you doing in Nerima?"

"Ranma and I are visiting my family."

Shampoo grabbed Akane's arm and dragged her down the street.

"I hope Mousse didn't see you."

"Mousse is back?"

Shampoo's expression was grim.

"He came back yesterday, and he's worse than ever.  He's insisting
that we marry right away

"I have to get away from here!"

"That's why I'm here, Shampoo.  Shiro sent me."

Shampoo's eyes opened wide.

"I'm on my way to the market.  Can you come with me?"

"Sure."

As the girls walked, Akane gave Shampoo her message.  She had been
wondering how to treat Shampoo,  and how she would be treated.  Akane
had always disliked and distrusted Shampoo, and wasn't sure how to
view her now.  There was no longer any rivalry between them, and
Shampoo seemed less like a warrior now and more like a young woman in
love.

"Thank you, Akane.  I didn't know what to do."

"I don't understand.  You've always been able to handle Mousse."

Shampoo looked very embarrassed.

"I think. . .I think he has been fooling me all this time.  I can see
now that he is very dangerous.  I still think I could defeat him, but
I'm afraid he will hurt Shiro.  I don't want him to find out where
I've gone."

Shampoo stopped short.  Why was she confiding in Akane Saotome, of all
people?  Kasumi was her friend, not Akane.  Akane was the violent girl
who'd stolen Ranma.

No.  That wasn't true.  Akane was the girl who loved Ranma, and who
was loved by Ranma.  The old resentment wasn't there anymore.  Shampoo
had no idea how to tell Akane what she was thinking, and was very
surprised when Akane put her hand on her shoulder.

"Shampoo, I think we should tell Ranma about this.  Can you come by
later on today?"

"I'll try."

"Thank you.  I don't know why you're being so nice to me, after I
tried to kill you, and tried to take Ranma away from you, but thank
you."

Shampoo continued on her way, and Akane watched her go.  She was
thinking hard about something Kasumi had said in one of her letters,
and she ran after Shampoo, calling her name.

"What, Akane?"

"Do you, do you think we could be friends."

Akane's stuttered question was answered by a tentative nod.

*****

The sound of the door sliding open woke Ranma.  The first thing he saw
when he opened his eyes was his father charging at him.

"Lazy boy!  What are you doing in bed at this hour?"

"Pop?"

Ranma avoided his father and tripped him, sending him stumbling across
the room and into the wall.  The old man was still untangling himself
when Ranma pulled on his pants and walked out of the room.

"Give it a rest, Pop.  I've seen every move you have.  I'm going
downstairs to find some breakfast."

The rest of the family was already at the table when Ranma got
downstairs.  He smiled at his mother, and sat beside her.

"Good morning, Mom."

"Good morning, Ranma.  Where is Akane?"

The question was repeated by Genma, who sat down on the other side of
Ranma, and began serving himself a huge breakfast.

"Shouldn't you have thought of that BEFORE you walked into our
bedroom, Pop?  You didn't even knock.  She's out for a run."

Genma opened his mouth to retort, but one look from his wife made him
look down and concentrate on his breakfast.  It was soon gone, and his
chopsticks flew towards his son's plate.  His hand stopped short a
second later because Ranma's chopsticks had grabbed his wrist.

"No way, Pop."

Genma's response was to reach for the serving plate, but Ranma held it
out of his reach.

"Leave some for Akane.  She should be back soon."

Nodoka took the plate from Ranma, and put it down farther away.

"You had a rather large breakfast at home, dear."

Ranma just kept eating.  Some things, like his father's greed, never
changed.

Ranma heard the front door open, and he moved over a little to make
room for Akane.  His mother picked up the serving plate, and nearly
dropped it when she joined the room in a collective gasp.

"Akane, what happened to you?"

There was already a river of tears in Soun's lap when he got up, ran
around the table, and embraced his daughter.

"Oh, my poor baby girl!  Who would do such a horrible thing to you?
Tell Daddy if it hurts!"

"Only where you're squeezing me, Daddy.  I'm fine."

Soun abruptly let go of his daughter, murmuring apologies.  Then he
stiffened, and turned to his son-in-law.

"And where were YOU when this happened?  I NEVER would have allowed
you to take my little girl so far away from home if I knew you
wouldn't take proper care of her!"

Even though Ranma had expected this from his father-in-law, it still
wounded him.  He cringed under the assault, unable to respond beyond a
few inarticulate sounds.

"Leave him alone!"

All eyes turned to Akane.

"Ranma was at work when this happened.  You can't blame him."

Soun started to cry again.

"Ranma promised me he would take good care of you, and he hasn't done
it!  I never should have let you leave home. . ."

Soun trailed off into sobs, and Kasumi left her seat and put an arm
around him.

"Now, now Father.  I'm sure Ranma takes very good care of Akane.  Let
me pour you some more tea."

As she spoke, Kasumi inclined her head toward Akane, who took the hint
and sat down to eat her breakfast.  Soun allowed Kasumi to lead him
back to his seat, where his sobs grew softer.  Ranma was beginning to
think he was off the hook when Genma opened his mouth.

"Son, what exactly DID happen to Akane?"

Between the two of them, Ranma and Akane told the story of Ukyo's
attacks on the two of them, and her subsequent hospitalization.  Akane
had finished her breakfast by the time they were done, and Kasumi
began to clear the table.

"Pop, if you hadn't engaged me to Ukyo and then run out on her, she
wouldn't be in the state she's in right now.  This is your fault!"

"Growf!"

"Turning into a panda isn't going to get you out of this!"

"Son, some of the responsibility is yours."

"Mom?"

Everyone's attention was drawn to Nodoka, who was calmly sipping her
tea.

"Your father made the arrangement for you to marry Ukyo, and that
bound you to her.  Since you can't marry her, you should at least do
something for her."

"Mom, that's for Pop to do.  He has to repay the dowry."

"That's not what I had in mind, Ranma.  I agree that the dowry should
be repaid, but Ukyo needs more than just money.  She needs you."

Ranma began to sweat.

"M-me?  I've tried to be her friend, Mom."

"That's obviously not enough for her.  Can you be more than that?"

Akane had been taking this all in, growing more and more alarmed.  Her
worst nightmare had always been that Ranma would choose someone else.
Now his mother wanted, she wanted . . .

"You want him to be her lover, don't you?"

Nodoka nodded.

"MOM!"

"Mother Saotome, how could you?"

"Oh my!"

The reactions from Ranma, Akane and Kasumi seemed to confuse Nodoka.
Then she looked carefully at her son and daughter-in-law.  Ranma was
sitting with an arm around Akane, holding her close to his side.
Akane was clutching Ranma possessively, as if someone was trying to
take him away from her.  Ranma was talking softly to Akane, as if no
one else were in the room, and Nodoka strained her ears, trying to
listen.

"I wouldn't consider it, Akane.  Not for a moment."

"Why not, Son?  This is a matter of honor, after all."

"Honor?  You said honor, Mom?  Ukyo tried to kill my wife!  I wouldn't
trust her for a second after that!  Forget it!"

After a moment of thought, Nodoka got up, poured hot water on her
husband, and pulled him out of the room.  They returned after a few
minutes and sat down.

"Son, your mother has convinced me that we have to go to Ube and look
after Ukyo.  I realize this is a difficult time for you right now, so
we'll do what we can until you can do your part."

"Difficult time, Pop?"

"Well, yes.  Akane needs you now, and that's understandable, but after
the baby is born you'll have to give Ukyo some of your attention."

Soun spilled his tea.

"Baby?"

Before Akane or Ranma could speak, Soun had once more flown around the
table and embraced his daughter.

"I'm so happy!  Why didn't you tell us?"

"Daddy!"

"An heir to the School!"

"Daddy!"

"Yes?"

"I'm not pregnant."

As abruptly as he'd begun to cry, Soun stopped.  He let go of Akane,
and glared at Ranma.

"What do you mean, not pregnant?  Aren't you doing right by my little
girl, Ranma?"

If Akane weren't boiling mad, she'd have laughed at Ranma's reaction.
He turned beet red, and started to stutter.

"Yes, er no, I mean. . ."

Ranma visibly calmed himself, and tried again.

"Mr. Tendo. . ."

It didn't work.  Ranma couldn't deal with his father-in-law and tried
an easier target, his father.

"First of all, Pop, what gave you the idea Akane was pregnant?


"You've been married nearly two months.  She should be by now, unless
you've been doing something to prevent it.  The School needs an heir."

Akane suppressed a cry of pain when Ranma's hand squeezed hers so hard
that it hurt.

"Pop, our sex life is none of your damn business!  We'll have kids
when we're good and ready to, and that isn't now!"

The reactions from the people in the room were almost predictable.
Genma looked angry, Soun tearful but accepting, and Kasumi simply
nodded.  Nodoka brightened and patted her son's arm.

"I understand, Ranma.  Akane's busy right now, so you have to wait.
I'm sure Ukyo would be very willing to have your baby."

That was enough for Ranma.  He got up, pulling Akane up beside him.

"I've had it.  Come on, we're going out."

Ranma had dragged Akane halfway out of the room when she freed her
hand and walked back to her mother-in-law.

"You don't seem to think there would be anything wrong with my husband
having a mistress, do you?  Does that mean you wouldn't mind if your
husband had one?"

Genma smiled, and nodded at his daughter-in-law.

"Nothing at all wrong with it, Akane.  Why--"

His words were abruptly cut off when the Saotome sword appeared under
his chin.

"You were saying, Dearest?"

"Um, I was only. . ."

Genma trailed off, and Nodoka pulled back the sword.  Akane's chuckle
made her turn around.

"I think I made my point."

Akane returned to Ranma, and they left the house.

-------------------

to be continued

-----------------------

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